On 30 July 2023, scientists at the US’ California-based National Ignition Facility (NIF) produced a fusion reaction that produced more energy than it consumed, leading many to renew speculation as to whether using fusion as an energy source is possible. Nuclear fusion occurs when two atoms collide to form a heavier atom. For instance, two …
Tag Archives: Nuclear
Ancient Natural Nuclear Reactor – How Did it Work?
Uranium-based nuclear reactors rely on the isotope uranium-235 to make energy. Currently, there is far more uranium-238 (146 neutrons) than 235 (143 neutrons) in naturally occurring ore, where the isotopes vary greatly in their stability. Therefore, uranium goes through a process of enrichment to extract the U-235, since this isotope makes up only about .72% …
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Chelyabinsk-40: the USSR Nuclear Disaster Decades before Chernobyl
When you think of the world’s worst nuclear disaster, you may be able to conjure up memories of Chernobyl, the nuclear meltdown that took place on 26 April 1986 in what would become modern-day Ukraine. Thousands of people died from acute radiation sickness in the immediate aftermath or from radiation-induced cancers in the years following …
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